APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DETECTING DRIVER'S DAZZLING AND SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR BLOCKING DAZZLING USING THE SAME

• US 20130147936A1
• Filed: 06/01/2012
• Published: 06/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: Kim, Sam Yong, Lee, Byoung Joon, Jung, Ho Choul
• Granted Patent: US 9,180,756 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/78
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 3/00 Antiglare equipment associated with windows or windscreens optical viewing arrangements for vehicles B60R1/00; Sun visors for vehicles sun visors having appliances for storing or holding personal property B60R7/05
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 3/04 adjustable in transparency
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/085 due to special conditions, e.g. adverse weather, type of road, badly illuminated road signs or potential dangers B60Q1/10, B60Q1/12, B60Q1/1423 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/10 due to vehicle inclination, e.g. due to load distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness

Abstract

Disclosed is a technique for detecting whether dazzling is affecting the drivers driving ability when the eye area is included in the area to which the direct sunlight is incident. More particularly of the technique detects a facial area and an eye area of a driver'"'"'s image, and an area to which direct sunlight is incident in the facial area, and then determines whether dazzling is effecting the drivers driving ability when the eye area is included in the area to which the direct sunlight is incident to detect a direction of incidence of the direct sunlight and then, automatically blocks the direct sunlight in the direction to which light is incident via a blocking apparatus.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detecting driver'"'"'s dazzling, comprising:

an image photographer configured to photograph a driver'"'"'s facial image;

an eye area detector configured to detect an eye area of the driver'"'"'s facial image photographed by the image photographer;

a facial area detector configured to detect a facial area of the driver'"'"'s facial image photographed by the image photographer;

an incident area detector configured to detect an area (hereinafter, referred to as an incident area) to which direct sunlight is incident in the facial area detected by the facial area detector; and

a dazzling detector configured to determine whether dazzling is affecting the drivers driving ability when the eye area is included in the area to which the direct sunlight is incident.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the incident area detector includes:

an area binarizer configured to apply a threshold value to the facial area detected by the facial area detector to represent the facial area as black or white;

an area sorter configured to sort the facial area binarized by the area binarizer into a black area and a white area; and

an incident area detector configured to detect the white area sorted by the area sorter as the incident area.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the area binarizer represents the facial area as white when brightness of each pixel within the facial area exceeds the threshold value and represents the facial area as black when the brightness thereof does not exceeds the threshold value.

4. A system for blocking dazzling, comprising:

a dazzling detector configured to detect a facial area and an eye area of a driver'"'"'s facial image, detects an area (hereinafter, referred to as an incident area) to which direct sunlight is incident in the facial area, and determines that the dazzling causes problems for the driver when the incident area overlaps the eye area;

an incident area shape recognizer configured to recognize a shape of the incident area detected by the dazzling detector;

an incident direction detector configured to detect an incident direction based on the shape of the incident area recognized by the incident area shape recognizer and the facial area detected by the dazzling detector; and

a blocking apparatus driver configured to adjust and operate a blocking apparatus to block direct sunlight from the incident direction detected by the incident direction detector.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the incident direction detector includes:

a boundary line approximator configured to approximate a boundary line between the shape recognized by the incident area shape recognizer and the facial area to a straight line; and

a slope determiner configured to determine the incident direction of the direct sunlight by calculating a slope of the straight line that is a result approximated by the boundary line approximator.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the slope determiner determines the incident direction as lateral incidence when the slope of the straight line satisfies a vertical range, determines the incident direction as front incidence when the slope of the straight line satisfies a horizontal range, and determines the incident direction as the lateral and front incidence in other cases.

7. The system according to claim 4, wherein the dazzling detector includes:

an image photographer configured to photograph a driver'"'"'s facial image;

an eye area detector configured to detect an eye area of the driver'"'"'s facial image photographed by the image photographer;

a facial area detector configured to detect a facial area of the driver'"'"'s facial image photographed by the image photographer;

an incident area detector configured to detect an area (hereinafter, referred to as an incident area) to which direct sunlight is incident in the facial area detected by the facial area detector; and

a dazzling detector configured to detect whether dazzling is affecting the drivers driving ability when the eye area is included in the area to which the direct sunlight is incident.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the incident area detector includes:

an area binarizer configured to apply a threshold value to the facial area detected by the facial area detector to represent the facial area as black or white;

an area sorter configured to sort the facial area binarized by the area binarizer into a black area and a white area; and

an incident area detector configured to detect the white area sorted by the area sorter as the incident area.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the area binarizer represents the facial area as white when brightness of each pixel within the facial area exceeds the threshold value and represents the facial area as black when the brightness thereof does not exceeds the threshold value.

10. The system according to claim 7, wherein the blocking apparatus driver drives the blocking apparatus when an exposure value of the image photographer does not exceed a first reference value.

11. The system according to claim 7, wherein the blocking apparatus driver does not drive the blocking apparatus when the incident area detected by the incident area detector includes the facial area detected by the facial area detector above a second reference value.

12. A method for detecting driver'"'"'s dazzling, comprising:

photographing, by an image photographer, a driver'"'"'s facial image;

detecting, by an eye area detector, an eye area of the driver'"'"'s facial image;

detecting, by a facial area detector, the facial area of the driver'"'"'s facial image;

detecting, by an incident area detector, an area (hereinafter, referred to as an incident area) to which direct sunlight is incident in the facial area; and

determining, by the dazzling detector, whether dazzling is affecting the drivers driving ability when the eye area is included in the area to which the direct sunlight is incident.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the detecting of the incident area includes:

binarizing, by the area binarizer, the facial image as black or white by applying a threshold value to the detected facial area;

sorting, by the area sorter, the binarized facial area into a black area and a white area; and

detecting, by an incident area detector, the sorted white area as the incident area.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the binarizing includes:

representing the facial area as white when brightness of each pixel within the facial area exceeds the threshold value; and

representing the facial area as black when the brightness thereof does not exceed the threshold value.

15. A method for blocking dazzling, comprising:

detecting, by a dazzling detector, a facial area and an eye area of a driver'"'"'s facial image;

detecting, by the dazzling detector, an area (hereinafter, referred to as an incident area) to which direct sunlight is incident in the facial area;

determining, by the dazzling detector, whether dazzling is effecting the drivers driving ability when the eye area is included in the area to which the direct sunlight is incident

recognizing, by an incident area shape recognizer, a shape of the incident area;

detecting, by an incident direction detector, an incident direction based on a shape of the recognized incident area and the detected facial area; and

operating and adjusting, by a blocking apparatus driver, a blocking apparatus to block direct sunlight from the detected incident direction.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the detecting of the incident direction includes:

approximating, by a boundary line approximator, a boundary line between the shape of the recognized incident area and the detected facial area to a straight line; and

determining, by a slope determiner, the incident direction of the direct sunlight by calculating a slope of the straight line.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the detecting of the incident direction includes:

determining the incident direction as lateral incidence when the slope of the straight line satisfies a vertical range;

determining the incident direction as front incidence when the slope of the straight line satisfies a horizontal range; and

determining the incident direction as lateral and front incidence in cases other than the first and second determination.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the determining of the dazzling includes:

photographing, by an image photographer, a driver'"'"'s facial image;

detecting, by an eye area detector, an eye area of the driver'"'"'s facial image;

detecting, by a facial area detector, a facial area of the driver'"'"'s facial image;

detecting, by an incident area detector, an area (hereinafter, referred to as an incident area) to which direct sunlight is incident in the facial area; and

determining, by a dazzling detector, whether dazzling is affecting the drivers driving ability when the eye area is included in the area to which the direct sunlight is incident.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the detecting of the incident area includes:

applying, by an area binarizer, a threshold value to the detected facial area to represent the facial area as black or white;

sorting, by an area sorter, the binarized facial area into a black area and a white area; and

detecting, by an incident area detector, the sorted white area as the incident area.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the binarizing includes:

representing the facial area as white when brightness of each pixel within the facial area exceeds the threshold value; and

representing the facial area as black when the brightness thereof does not exceeds the threshold value.

21. The method according to claim 18, wherein the driving of the blocking apparatus drives the blocking apparatus when an exposure value of the image photographer does not exceed a first reference value.

22. The method according to claim 18, wherein the driving of the blocking apparatus does not drive the blocking apparatus when the incident area detected by the incident area detector includes the facial area detected by the facial area detector of a second reference value or more.